Graduating to Public Service

By Stephen Barr
Washington Post

In hopes of encouraging more college students to consider careers in government, leaders at 27 universities are trading ideas and techniques on what it will take to bring a new generation into public service. Read More

Great Places to work in Washington DC

Here is a great article about places to work in our nation's capital, including government, nonprofit and private sector jobs.

http://www.washingtonian.com/packages/placestowork2007/index.html

Parsing the Fine Print on Federal Ads

By Mary Ellen Slayter
The Washington Post

Uncle Sam really does want you, even though at times it can be hard to figure out what exactly he wants you to do.

Federal job ads can seem particularly opaque to people looking to make the switch from the private sector. Or as one wannabe fed put it in my online chat recently: "What gives with USAJobs.com? The job descriptions on that site are incomprehensible to a person (like me) who hasn't worked for a government agency before. Seriously, they don't make any sense."

Read more...

Understaffed Social Security Braces for Retirement Boom

By Stephen Losey
Federal Times

The Social Security Administration has a problem.

The first baby boomers started applying for Social Security retirement benefits last month, signaling what is certain to be a huge demand for the agency’s services.

Yet the agency has its lowest staffing levels in 35 years.

Read more...

Invitation for MPA/MPP Students For Facebook Group, YouTube Video, & New Job Board

Dear MPA/MPP Student,

Welcome to a new school year. As a NASPAA member school your MPA/MPP program has helped us create some interesting online tools for you to use and enjoy. Three of them are listed and linked below.

You can join our MPA/MPP Facebook group, check out the YouTube Public Policy Challenge we created and take a sneak-peak to the soon to-be launched Public Service Career and Job Board.

Best fortune this year,
Scott Talan
NASPAA HQ
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs & Administration
www.naspaa.org Phone 202.628.8965 ext 106 Washington DC

1. MPA/MPP FACEBOOK GROUP

The Facebook MPA/MPP group now has over 1,600 members!

If you're not yet a member you'll find it's a good networking tool. It also has career tips, news articles as well as active discussion board as well.

TO JOIN FACEBOOK'S PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE MPA & MPP DEGREES Go To: http://harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2234487021

Not on Facebook? Joining is free and signing up takes a couple of minutes. It's no longer only for undergrads; even presidential candidates have their own page; so do grad students who have found it valuable in networking. To register and join facebook: www.facebook.com.

2. YOUTUBE MPA/MPP PUBLIC POLICY CHALLENGE

We asked MPA/MPP students to select a public policy problem and to offer their solution on video in 60 seconds or less. The top choices were topical (Immigration, Iraq and Human Trafficking) and very well done. The winning video used cartoon imagery and showed how creativity can mix with public policy. The goal was to make MPA/MPP student learning come alive in the digital sphere. Check out the top 3 videos below.

www.naspaa.org/youtubechallenge/

3. NEW JOB BOARD

We have partnered with 2 other prominent public service associations to create first career and job board dedicated to public sector careers focused on: Government, Non-profit, Consulting and Education. We are close to official launch but take a peak now and bookmark this site to help you find your job later and create your career.

www.publicservicecareers.org

New Video Explores Careers with State Legislatures

State legislatures are a natural fit for graduates with degrees in public administration, policy and public affairs. Students don’t need specializations or experience in accounting or finance to focus on legislative fiscal issues – more important are general analytical skills, an ability to understand spending and revenue concepts, and an interest in democratic processes.

The video explores different facets of a legislative fiscal career – presented by analysts themselves from various states. Also featured are several legislative fiscal directors, legislators from across the U.S., and Professor Alan Rosenthal of Rutgers University, an expert on state legislatures.

This is the link to the 15-minute video about careers in state legislatures, particularly in fiscal analysis.
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/fiscal/nalfo/index.htm (click on "NALFO video" on the right hand side)

To learn more about state legislatures, students can explore the web site of the National Conference of State Legislatures at www.ncsl.org.

Global Panel America

Dr. Wise has just informed me about a very special opportunity tomorrow afternoon for a few Glenn School graduate students. Dr. Wise and Glenn School students have been invited by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to participate in an informal discussion with a delegation from Global Panel America.

Global Panel America is an organization dedicated to bringing together policymakers, military leaders, businessmen, and international thinkers and commentators to help address international geo-political and geo-economic issues. Secretary of State Brunner is part of GPAs international advisory board composed of political and business leaders from across the globe. This new organization has chosen Columbus, OH as the city where it will officially launch and will be in town for the weekend.

We are looking for 3-4 students who are free from about 1:00pm-2:30pm tomorrow (Friday) to meet with Dr. Wise and various members of the advisory board for an informal discussion about world politics. Right now, the student forum is scheduled to take place at the Riffe Center, 31st floor, but we are seeing if it is possible to move the event up to Page Hall.

More information about the group is available at:
http://www.globalpanel.net/english/events/2007/10312007_Launch_GP_America.html
http://www.globalpanel.net/english/events/2007/10312007_Launch_GP_America_Guests.html
http://www.globalpanel.net/english/events/2007/10312007_Launch_GP_America_Program.html

If you are interested in participating in this exciting opportunity, please email me by 11:00pm TODAY.

If you would like to ride with Dr. Wise down to the Riffe Center, please indicate that in your email and be prepared to meet on campus at 12:30pm.